One Snowy Day
by Johnnycake
Summary: Roxas' Friends, after a wild Friday night, post a picture of themselves online that makes Roxas worry. [M for language, Slight Shounenai]


Well, I'm posting another oneshot. I hope you like it.

No real pairings, really...yet, at least.

---

It was Monday. Roxas was tired. After a long weekend of being in a play [Babes in Toyland, to be exact, he was exhausted after only six hours of sleep. School was always droll, but eventually in First period Honors French 1, the teacher made everyone stand up and sing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in French. That song had always made Roxas happy.

It didn't take too much to make Roxas happy. He was generally a cheerful person, even though on weekdays he was always dead tired and almost falling asleep every second of every minute of every hour of his school day. But ti wasn't that bad, because he had first period with Demyx and Vexen. Demyx was happier than Roxas, always cheerful and always positive, whereas Roxas sometimes had his not-so-cool moments. Vexen was a bookworm and a very studious person, usually quiet and extremely sensetive. He got upset very easily, and felt that nobody liked him. But a lot of people did, even though most found him strange. Sometimes they even though he was a freak, especially since he had a passion [that bordered on obsession for science. And he studied more than anybody in the entire school.

Study Hall rolled around. Since it was Monday, Roxas had Freshman choir. It was pretty uneventful and even boring, though Roxas loved the songs they sang.

Second period was right after Study Hall. Electronic Music. Students exchanged stories. Roxas got to tell everyone in the class what the play was about.

"So Babes in Toyland is about this dude named Alan whose parents died." Next to him, Larxene snickered as she entered notes into her transposition of Carol of the Bells. "And they left him a large inheritance. And so his crotchety old uncle Barnaby hires two chicks to kill him. So they try to drown him by tying him up and leaving him on a ship to sink, but they're stupid and sp ship never left the dock and only sunk in three feet of water..." He hadn't gotten to finish, though, because the teacher wanted the class to do work and it was a long summary.

Lunch and Biology 1 came and went, Roxas had sat with Xigbar throughout the duration of the two classes. Xigbar had just gotten back to school after two and a half weeks in the hospital. Roxas had missed him and his silliness. Finally English class came, Roxas' favorite class. He sat next to Hayner near the door. Roxas' day had gone swell, up until the middle of English.

"Roxas." Roxas turned to face Riku. Roxas didn't like him. He was a football player and an all-around dick.

"What?" Roxas snapped, his good mood suddenly turning foul.

"That picture of Demyx and Zexion online...yeah, that's pretty _weird_." Roxas blinked. That picture of Demyx and Zexion...

"_You're_ fucking weird." Roxas replied after it had suddenly dawned on him. That picture of Demyx and Zexion at the Babes in Toyland Cast party on Friday. At that Chinese place, Land of Dragons. Nobody had gotten drunk because everyone was still in high school, but Demyx and Zexion had kissed each other and Axel, Demyx's ex-boyfriend, had taken a picture.

But it wasn't like it had been a big deal. Luxord had played Alan in the play. He had practically molested Sora, who had been in the tech crew [also known as "the Techies". People took pictures. In turn, Selphie had kissed Kairi and people took pictures. So Demyx and Zexion had decided to join in the fun and also share a smooch. The group of friends [Roxas Demyx, Zexion, Hayner, Vexen, and a few others always played kissing games at their all-male parties. Most of them were straight as a line. They were just hormone-ridden teenaged boys, so it didn't matter. They all shared friendly family kisses and hugs in and out of school, and nobody seemed to care. They said they loved each other. No big deal.

But the picture being put up was a big deal.

Roxas turned to Hayner.

"How the _fuck_ did he see that picture?!" he hissed. Hayner arced an eyebrow.

"It's online. Axel put it up." Roxas decided that he was going to kick Axel's ass. He was certain that Zexion wouldn't appreciate that kind of publicity, and Demyx certainly wouldn't want hs ex-boyfriend posting his business all over the damn internet.

"Does Zexion know about it?" Roxas asked. Hayner nodded. Zexion was probably pissed. He was all kinds of straight, he just liked to fool around in private. He wasn't a slut, he was still even a virgin. He was just...affectionate. At least with Demyx and Roxas himself. "Does Demyx know?" Hayner shrugged. "If Zexion knows, Demyx probably knows."

"That picture of Demyx and Zexion, Roxas...it's pretty _weird_." Roxas turned around to look at Pence. Another football player. Also a dick. And so distracting and never serious about anything.

"Shut the fuck up Pence, you're weird." Roxas snapped.

"Roxas, are we friends?" Pence asked innocently. Roxas knew he was just being a hole.

"No. _God_, no."

"Why not?"

"Because I hate you."

"Why do you hate me?"

"Because you're a prick."

"Why am I a prick?"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to stab you in your fat with my pencil and deflate you."

"_Ooooohhhhhh_! Pence!" Riku jeered. Pence tried calling out to the teacher to tell her what Roxas had said, but the teacher ignored him and kept giving instructions. The teacher didn't like Pence, either. That's why she was Roxas' favorite.

The other boys kept saying things about Zexion and Demyx throughout class, and Roxas had, at one point, snapped.

"If any of you say one more thing about that picture, I'll _kill_ someone." The teacher paused. Everyone looked at him.

"That's a _threat_! Miss Belle, that's a threat!" Pence teased. Miss Belle ignored him.

"I don't want to hear anything more about any pictures. Do your paper mosaics." she said firmly, giving a sympathetic look to Roxas who was, by then, shaking with anger.

---

The day ended and Roxas entered the Performing Arts Center at the far end of the school. There, he ran into Zexion.

"Zexion, I'm a bit upset about Axel posting that picture of you and Demyx online." He said, approaching his friend. Zexion turned.

"Well I told him to put it up." Roxas stared. "It's _my_ picture."

"Does Demyx know?" Zexion nodded. "I still really don't like it." Roxas said.

"Well like I said, it's _my_ picture. And Demyx doesn't mind." Zexion sounded a bit angry. Roxas felt mortified. Zexion wasn't usually one to want such a thing to be so public! It was weird. Only the Drama club had seen. Nobody else needed to know. It was their own business. Roxas had thought it was funny at the time, but having a picture of two of his best friends eating each-others' faces up on a public website didn't seem appropriate. And it was Zexion's doing...!

That was when Roxas decided to skip set strike. He didnt want to put in an hour of tech work in order to be eligable to try out for the competition play. He didn't care about that anymore. He just wanted to go home. He felt sick.

"Hayner!" He called. He was supposed to get a ride with Demyx, but Demyx was doing set strike. And Roxas didn't want to see Demyx at the moment. Hayner turned around. "Can I have a ride?"

---

The car ride home with Hayner and Hayner's mom was silent. They dropped Roxas off at his house and Roxas went inside. He played Guitar hero for a bit before his brother Leon began yelling at him to clean up some sort of mess that Cloud had made. Leon was a dick and Cloud was a bitch and their dad's freeloading girlfriend Tifa had begun to complain about the house always being dirty when she and Cloud and Leon always made messes. Roxas was almost never home before eight and all he ever did at home was lie on the couch and draw and do homework whilst listening to music, so he didn't ever feel the need to clean everyone else's messes.

Once Leon had gone upstairs to hear what Cloud was asking him from his bedroom, Roxas quickly grabbed his coat and left.

It was the beginning of December, and snowing. Roxas didn't own gloves or a hat, so he relied on his coat's hood and fuzzy pockets to keep himself warm. He listened to music as he waked down the street, one earphone off of his right ear. He wanted to be able to hear traffic so that he wouldn't get hit.

It wasn't that cold out. It was snowing, but the cold wasn't bitter and biting. It was a comfortable chill that Roxas could put up with with his fingers outside of his pockets. They sat hooked in his belt loops, holding his pants up as he walked because he had forgotten to wear a belt that day.  
Hallo. I'm posting another oneshot. I hope you like it.

---

As he walked, he thought. Why would Zexion want that picture up on the internet? Zexion, who usually didn't like his personal life being public. Zexion, whom, if he had a problem, would only tell oneperson and wouldn't let any of his other friends know. The boy who hated being noticed. And Demyx, too, wasn't that type of person either. Demyx didn't mind attention but he didn't usually make his personal life public, either. Roxas felt like he didn't know them anymore. He felt distanced. Estranged.

Roxas was protective of his friends, and having that picture up would be cause for much ridicule. He knew that they didn't care what everyone else thought of them, but people might physically hurt them now, because everybody now thought that they were gay. The rest of the town wasn't as open as Roxas and his friends. Homosexuality was strongly frowned upon. Zexion was very much straight, and Demyx went for anybody he liked.

He also didn't feel that having such a picture up wasn't appropriate at all. Especially on the internet. It could endanger Zexion and Demyx, couldn't they understand!? He was worried. Angry. Hurt.

Right in front of the dollar store, he ran into Pence, Riku and Seifer, jarring him from his thoughts. Pence obviously wasn't the leader of any stupid football jock trio, it was seifer. But Pence was the lazy-ass but strong-as-hell [and a fatass, to boot lacky. Whereas Riku was the sporty and strong-as-hell lacky.

"That picture of Zexion and Demyx was weird." Pence repeated. Roxas looked to Pence, who stood to the right of Seifer.

"_You're_ fucking weird." Roxas repeated his earlier retort. "Go the fuck away. I don't like you." Roxas tried to walk around Pence [which was like trying to walk around an aircraft carrier in the middle of the sidewalk, Roxas thought with malice, and he snorted in laughter.

"I didn't know you hung out with _faggots_."

Before he knew what he was doing, Roxas, hand connected with Pence's cheek. Pence stumbled backwards, surprised. Riku and Seifer did nothing to help Pence or stop Roxas.

"They're not faggots, _fatass_." Roxas snarled. He didn't realize what had hit him for a moment when he fell on his rear, rubbing his cheek. Then it dawned on him that it had been Pence who had hit him. Roxas just stared coldly up at Pence.

"Thanks." he mumbled before etting to his feet. His rear-end was wet from the snow, but his jacket hid the large dark spot on the back of his pants when he stood. He looked to Pence, who looked confused. He couldn't imagine why Roxas would thank him for clocking him square in the mouth. Speaking of, Roxas felt a little trickle down his chin. His lip was split. Pence's face was fine, save for a small bruise forming on his fat jaw. Roxas turned and walked away, feeling much better than before he had run into Pence.

But his friends were still attention-whoring themselves on the internet, and this thought made him want to cry. They had changed, somehow, since that Friday night. It bothered him.

Instead of going home, he sat on the benches near the footbridge and called Marluxia from his cell phone. Roxas had met Marluxia online and Marluxia was a flamboyantly gay drag-queen whom Roxas trusted and constantly went to with personal problems. It rang twice before Marluxia picked up.

_"Heylo."_ came Marluxia's deep, smooth voice in greeting. Roxas had never heard it before and was surprised. He had seen a picture of the pink-haired man, and his voice deeply contrasted his looks.

"Marlu? It's Roxas. From AIM. I know you said to let you know before calling you, but I couldn't get online."

_"Roxy? Oh, it's no problem, sweetie. I'm not working today. What's up?"_

"Well...it's just that, a couple of my friends posted a picture of them kissing online. Two guys, my friends Zex and Dem. And...I'm worried about them because it's on a site where the entire school can see. And Zexion is mad at me because I told him that it bothers me." Roxas couldn't hold in his frustration any longer and tears began to spill from his eyes and down his cheeks, soaking his neck and the collar of his green tee-shirt and sticnging his still-bleeding lip. "I don't want to talk to them anymore...they'll just be mad. But I love them." he choked. He heard Marluxia coo on the other line.

_"Maybe you can try to talk to them. Just try. Explain why you don't feel comfortable and that you're worried about their well-being. They might understand."_

"But what if they don't? I'll have no friends again!" Roxas wailed. If Zexion and Demyx stopped liking him, everyone else would stop liking him and he'd be friendless, just like he had been the first two years he had lived in Twilight Town.

_"Then I'll come over and visit you."_ Marluxia offered. _"So just try to talk with them. If they leave you, they obviously don't deserve you."_ Roxas sniffled.

"O-okay." He said. Marluxia only lived three hours away and he had a car. Marluxia could be the only friend he needed. "Thanks. I've gotta g-go." he said.

_"Bye, honey."_ Marluxia said, and hung up. Roxas clicked the end button and looked at the time. It was 5:30 and it was dark. He clicked into his contacts and called Zexion. It rang three times.

_"Hello?"_

"Hello, Zexion? I really need to tell you something..."

---

And that's how the cookie crumbles. Took me an hour and a half to write, but I'm proud of it. And hungry. -At the library-

Imma go snag some foods and go home to warmth and the smell of cat poo. -Grimace-

I know Pence is originally Roxas' friend. But he was the only fat kid and I needed a fat kid.

Depending on how much people like this story, I may or may not post more chapters. We'll see what happens.

Read and review, please.


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